


Faster, Higher, Stronger

by Quaxo



Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern: No Powers, Alternate Universe - No Powers, Alternate Universe - Olympics, Gen, Relationships added as needed
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-02-18
Updated: 2014-02-18
Packaged: 2018-01-12 23:08:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 409
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1203952
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Quaxo/pseuds/Quaxo
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Five rings interlaced together in unity. </p><p>An AU set at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia.  Six athletes come to compete.  These are their stories.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Faster, Higher, Stronger

People ask him why he, prominently out gay man and incidental holder of a world record in speed skating, is not sitting out The Games. Hasn't he heard what President Putin is doing to people like him over there? Doesn't he care at all? Isn't he afraid?

Yes, he has heard. Yes, he does care. No, he's not afraid; with the world watching and ensconced safely within the Athlete's Village no one can touch him or any other gay athletes. He's lucky, but most gay Russians are not, and that inequity sits uneasily with him. 

The Games continue if whole countries decide to sit out in protest -- he's hardly going to make waves if he sits out. Putin and the rest of the world's homophobes will hardly care -- if they don't paint him as a coward and say he's too afraid to show because he knows that _who_ is something disgusting and dirty.

If he goes -- if he medals and dare he say manages to get the gold that's been eluding him the past three games -- that would be something. A very small something, admittedly, but a something. 

The Russian papers will censor the fact that he's gay, but word will get around because the word always gets around, that an openly gay man medaled at the Olympics and there was nothing that any of the small-minded people of the world could do about it. Hopefully some kid who hates themselves, who lives in fear every day of being discovered, will see him and see how their sexual orientation doesn't have to hold them back. That they're not alone. That they shouldn't have to hide who they are. That anyone who says otherwise ought to be ashamed of themselves.

Of course, he has to win a medal first. 

***///***

> Steve Rogers Wins Gold in the 500 m Speed Skate.
> 
> Sochi, Russia --- Last night Steve Rogers, captain of the US Speed Skating team, sailed to victory in the 500 m in 33.9 seconds, a new Olympic record. Rogers beat out the Netherlands and South Korea, two countries who had been tipped to win big in the event, for the gold medal. This is the first medal for Rogers, who made his Olympic debut at the Turin games in 2006. One of the first openly gay athletes to medal in Sochi, Rogers revealed his relationship with former teammate James "Bucky" Barnes after the Vancouver Games. The two have since split up.

**Author's Note:**

> Blue: The actual Olympic record for the 500 m speed skate is 34.42 seconds, held by Casey FitzRandolph from Team USA, which he achieved at the 2002 Winter Games. 
> 
> Next up: Black: Cross-country skier Natasha Romanova of Russia competes in the 15 k.


End file.
